Spending by pharmaceutical companies on print advertising in
medical journals was the lowest in a decade in 2009. At $287
million, spending on these print ads dropped 30% compared with
2007. At the same time, SDI's ePromotion Audit, which tracks online
promotional activities for physicians, noted an increase of more
than 32% in industry spending on ePromotion.

“We have seen a rise in the adoption of online tactics
being used to communicate with physicians,” said Kelly
Sborlini, Vice President of Market Research Audits at SDI.
“We're also seeing a similar shift in pharmaceutical
direct-to-consumer advertising. The largest growth area in DTC
advertising is on the Internet, whereas spending on consumer
magazine print ads is decreasing.”

Compared with 2007, expenditures for magazine direct-to-consumer
advertising declined 29% in 2009, while spending on Internet
advertising more than tripled (259%).

SDI is a leading healthcare market insight and analytics firm.
It provides the industry's most comprehensive de-identified
patient-level data to pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device
companies, enabling them to better understand the healthcare
market. SDI also serves the government and the financial services,
media, and consumer packaged goods industries. Founded in 1982, SDI
counts the world's top 50 pharmaceutical and biotech firms as its
clients.